What we are for

What we are for

Jesus said,

"Do not judge, or you too will be judged.  

For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." Matthew 7:1,2.

The apostle Paul writes,

"What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside?" 1 Corinthians 5:12

I am someone who is not in favour of so called ‘hell fire and brimstone’ preachers. I say this because I don’t think yelling and screaming that someone is going to hell bothers non-believers because many times they don’t believe in hell.

In her book To Kill a Mockingbird Harper Lee writes,

“Sometimes the Bible in the hand of one man is worse than a whisky bottle in the hand of (another)....” Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird.

Harper Lee is right. People calling themselves Christians have probably done as much if not more to turn people away from Christ than those who are not Christians.

In the name of Christ many try to take away the rights or restrict the rights of those they consider morally wrong or those they disagree with. You cannot legislate morality. Nor did Jesus and his disciples ever try to do this.

Jesus and his apostles lived in a society that was as least if not more diverse than our twenty-first century society. Yet they didn’t try to overthrow the Roman government.

Instead they sat down with those they disagreed with and presented the good news of Jesus Christ, much to the dismay it seems of the religious leaders of their day.

From my point of view I believe we as 21st century believers, especially those of us who live in the western democracies need to follow their example.

We need to stop yelling at those we disagree with. Stop telling and them they are on the way to hell and point them to heaven.

We need to be letting non-believers know what we are for, and not what we are against.

Jesus speaking of himself said why he came to this earth. John’s gospel recording,

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  

For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” John 3:16,17.

This is what we a believers in Christ Jesus must always remember. Our job is to save souls for Christ. NOT try to restrict their rights, and especially not judge where they will spend eternity for only God knows that. 

Please think about it.

Jesus Lunatic or Saviour

 Jesus Lunatic or Saviour?

John’s gospel records this interaction between Jesus and his disciples,

“Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” 

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.  

If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.” 

Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.” 

Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?  

Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work.  

Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves.  John 14:5-11.

This if you think about it is quite the extraordinary statement. Jesus makes two statements that if not true makes him a lunatic. He states,

1. “I am the way the truth and the life. No one come to the Father except through me.”

2.  “I am in the Father, and the Father is in me.”

What Jesus is saying is He is divine. He is God incarnate. The way to Heaven. 

C. S. Lewis said it best in his book Mere Christianity when he wrote,

“I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept his claim to be God. That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic — on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg — or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God, but let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.” C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity.

This is the choice the writers of the New Testament lay out before the whole world. Either Jesus is God incarnate, the Saviour of mankind, or he is not. The choice is yours.

Please think about it.

Teaching sound doctrine

Teaching sound doctrine

“Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. 

But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. 

He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.” Psalm 1:1-3.

At least in the part of the world where I live here in North America it’s easy to “walk with sinners” Quite often these sinners pose as Christian. The apostle Paul said of these people,

"For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.  

They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths." 2Timothy 4:3,4.

These are men and women Christian in name only. Who support things that are contrary to the teachings of God.

As believers we need to stop supporting such men and women and turn to the sound doctrine of the Bible.

Paul speaking of these false teachers states,

“What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside?  God will judge those outside. “Expel the wicked man from among you.” 1 Corinthians 5:12,13

It is up to us to look at those calling themselves Christians and see what they really are teaching. Then if they are not teaching sound doctrine turn away from them.

If we do this. If we delight in the law of the Lord and meditate on His laws. We will bear fruit.

Have you checked the teaching of those religious leaders you follow? Do you question if they are teaching sound doctrine?

Please think about it.

About Judging

 About Judging

Jesus said,

"Do not judge, or you too will be judged.  

"For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." Matthew 7:1,2.

An important element of Christian life is never to judge anyone other than for our personal protection or to correct a person claiming to be a Christian who is not teaching sound doctrine. 

The apostle Paul telling us,

"What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside?  God will judge those outside. "Expel the wicked man from among you." 1 Corinthians 5:12,13.

We especially should not judge a person with respect to where they will spend eternity.

The late evangelist Billy Graham once wisely said,

"It is the Holy Spirits job to convict, 

God's job to judge

 and my job to love," 

As a duty to present the word of God to those around us and not judge them. 

Please think about it.

To save the world

 To save the world

The writer of Ecclesiastes gives a bleak description of life writing,

“What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun” Ecclesiastes 1:9

"I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind." Ecclesiastes 1:14.

Ultimately he concludes,

“Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole  duty of man. 

For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.” Ecclesiastes12:13,14.

God will judge us. For everything we have done right and wrong. 

That being said we as believers in Christ Jesus don’t believe that if our good deeds out weigh our bad deeds we will get to heaven.

We believe God sent Jesus to pay the price for our sins the apostle Paul writing,

"You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.  Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die.  

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:6-8.

Later in his letter to the Romans Paul writes,

"That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  

For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.

As the Scripture says, "Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame."  

For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him,  for, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved" Romans 10:9-13

Jesus speaking of himself said,

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  

For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” John 3:16,17.

So do you believe in God?

Do you believe Jesus paid the price for your sins?

Please think about it. 

 

On your head

 On your head

In the book of Obadiah we read,

In the book of Obadiah we read,

"For the day of the LORD is near upon all nations.

As you have done, it shall be done to you;

your deeds shall return on your own head" 

                                                                         Obadiah 1:15.

This is a warning to both believers and none-believers. One day we will stand before God and answer for all we have done. But if we follow what Jesus said

"So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets" Matthew 7:12. We have a guide as to what we should do. 

Put simply if we don’t want something done to ourselves we shouldn’t be doing it to others.

So are you doing this?

Are you doing to others what you would have others do to you?

Please think about it.

God's choice for you

God's choice for you

In the book of Joshua we read,

“Now fear the LORD and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your forefathers worshiped beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD.  

But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.” Joshua 24: 14,15.

This is a choice we all have to make. Serve the gods of the world we live in, or serve the one true God, maker of heaven and earth.

The society in which we live in 2026 especially here in North America is a world of many gods. We may not call them gods but materialism, and the quest for luxury items are gods. Even Atheism is a god.

And the Lord God almighty. Maker of heaven and earth, gives us a choice to follow Him or them.

So the question becomes who do you worship?

Please think about it.

In my mothers womb

 In my mothers womb

The Psalmist writes,

“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. 

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. 

My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” Psalm 139:13-16.

For me this is one of the scriptures I particularly like. It tells me that God knows me intimately. Right down to my DNA.

It tells me I have a God who cares for me. A God who was with me in my mothers womb. A God who knows “all the days that are ordained for me”.

Knowing this gives me comfort that no matter what happens to me God is with me. As someone has said. 

“If I die I will be with God. If I live God will be with me.”

Where is God in your life? Is God even in your life?

Please think about it.

A Sermon from Paul

 A sermon from the Paul

For this post I’d like post the Apostle Paul’s sermon to the Athens. Paul states,

“So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there.  

A group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to dispute with him. Some of them asked, “What is this babbler trying to say?” Others remarked, “He seems to be advocating foreign gods.” They said this because Paul was preaching the good news about Jesus and the resurrection.  Then they took him and brought him to a meeting of the Areopagus, where they said to him, “May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting?  

You are bringing some strange ideas to our ears, and we want to know what they mean.”  

(All the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas.) 

Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: “Men of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious.  

For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you. 

“The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands.  

And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else.  

From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live.  

God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.  

‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’ 

“Therefore since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by man’s design and skill.  

In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent.  For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead.” 

When they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some of them sneered, but others said, “We want to hear you again on this subject.”  

At that, Paul left the Council.  

A few men became followers of Paul and believed. Among them was Dionysius, a member of the Areopagus, also a woman named Damaris, and a number of others” Acts 17:17-34

So my question to you dear reader, in which of the three groups are you, those who sneered, those who wanted to hear more on the subject, or those who believed.

Please think about it.

The law of the prophets

The Law of the Prophets

Jesus said,

"So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets" Matthew 7:12

Put this way in the year 2025 this means;

If you are

demonstrating against anyone. 

You are telling them 

they can demonstrate against you.

If you are 

speaking out and trying to restrict the rights of others 

given to them by the lawfully elected government.

You are telling others 

they can try to restrict your rights.

If you are 

imposing your morals on others

however good they may be.

You are telling them 

they can impose their morals on you, 

even if they are not as good as yours.

If you are 

trying to impose your faith on others 

rather than presenting your faith.

You are telling others 

they can impose their faith on you.

If you are

judging others.

You are telling others 

they can judge you in the same way.

If you 

are telling the world you are a Christian

You should be telling the world 

I love you as Jesus loves you,...

unconditionally.

Please think about it

Not life or death

Not life or death

In the book or Romans we read,

"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord" Romans 8:38,39

This simple statement from the apostle Paul is absolutely true. 

The Psalmist writes,

"Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? 

If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. 

If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast." Psalm 139:7-10.

So if you believe this do you believe what is written in the book of Ecclesiastes when it says,

“Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole  duty  of man. 

For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.” Ecclesiastes 12:13,14.

Please think about it. 

Shedding your Light

Shedding your light

The apostle John writes,

"This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.  

If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth.  

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.” 1John 1:5-7.

Today is New Years Eve where we usher in the new year. A time to celebrate. For we Christians it gives us a chance to reflect on the past year while looking to the new.

Why not take time to praise God for what he has done for you in the past year. and to follow the light that is Christ Jesus. 

Jesus said,

"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.  

Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.  

In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven." Matthew 5:14-16.

We, you, and me, as believers in Christ Jesus, are the light of the world. It is our job to spread the light that is the gospel message.

So why not take time today to pray and ask God where you can shed the light of the Gospel during this coming year?

Please think about it.

Saved by Faith

 Saved by Faith.

In John’s gospel we read

"He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him.  

He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.  

Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—  children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.” John 1:10-13.

John makes it clear how we become a true follower of Christ Jesus.

We must believe in his name.

This means a complete heart felt belief. It is an act of faith. Not simply and intellectual belief there is a God.  

The apostle Paul writes,

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—  not by works, so that no one can boast.” Ephesians 2:8,9 

In the book of Hebrews we read,

"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see."  Hebrews 11:1

Later in the book of Hebrews we read,

"And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him." Hebrews 11:6.

So do you believe in Christ Jesus?

Do you believe he is the Saviour of all who would believe in Him?

Please think about it.

A Child of God

 A Child of God

In John’s Gospel we read,

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  

He was with God in the beginning. 

Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.  

In him was life, and that life was the light of men....

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. " John 1:1-4,14.

Today is Christmas day. The day when we Christians. We who believe in Christ Jesus celebrate his birth.

The time we believe, that God in the form of His One and Only Son Jesus, became flesh.    The one who made the universe and everything in it came into the world to save all who would believe in Him.

The apostle John writes,

"He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him.  

He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.  

Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God  children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.” John 1:10-13.

Do you believe this?

Please think about it.

The Lord God

 The Lord God

In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary.  

The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you." 

Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be.  

But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favour with God.  

You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus.  

He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God" Luke 1:26-32.

Here is something I feel is so unbelievable that it has to be true. Mary the mother of Christ encounters an angel that tells her that the baby she is carrying will be called “the Son of the Most High. The Lord God.”

If this were not true why would Luke include it in his gospel, after all it seems outlandish. 

The fact is however, Mary was visited by an angel who told her told her the child she was carrying was the Son of the Most High. Then leaves it up to the reader to believe it or not.

Question: Do you believe Jesus is The Lord God?

Please think about it.

Have you confessed

 Have you confessed?

One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: "Aren't you the Christ? Save yourself and us!" 

But the other criminal rebuked him. "Don't you fear God," he said, "since you are under the same sentence?  

We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong." 

Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.'" 

Jesus answered him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise." Luke 23:39-43.

Christmas is just a few days away. It is the day we as Christians, as followers of Christ Jesus celebrate the coming of our Saviour Christ Jesus. The suffering Messiah who would give his life for our sins.

That being said we Christians tend to have a formula in order to get to heaven. “Say the sinner prayer.” “Confess your sins to God etc.”.

But in the above scripture one of the criminals didn’t follow a formula. He simply admitted he was deserving of his punishment, believed Jesus was who he said he was. To which Jesus said “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise”.

The apostle Paul writing to the Romans wrote,

"That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  

For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.

As the Scripture says, "Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame."  Romans 10:9-11.

So do you believe Jesus is the Saviour of all who believe in him. If so have you confessed your sins to Him. 

Please think about it.

Have you accepted?

 Have you accepted?

Jesus speaking of himself said,

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  

For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him." John 3:16,17.

This is the soul reason Jesus came to earth. He came to show each person the way to heaven. The Christian message is that simple.

Later in John chapter 6 we read,

“For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day." John 6:40.

God wants everyone to turn to Him and accept the salvation that comes through Christ Jesus.

Have you accepted the salvation and eternal life that comes through Jesus?

Please think about it.

To save the lost

 To save the lost

In the gospel of Luke we read,

“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost." 

                                                                                                      Luke 19:10.

Here as we would put it in industry today is Jesus’ job description. 

The apostle Paul writing,

"But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8.

Earlier in Romans 3: 23,24 Paul tells us,

"for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.  Romans 3:23,24

We cannot live a perfect life. We all fall short of what God wants for our life. That’s why the apostle Paul tells us,

“For our sake he made him [Jesus] to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." 2 Corinthians 5:20.

We Christians believe we cannot work our way to heaven. In the book of Ephesians we read,

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—  not by works, so that no one can boast.” Ephesians 2:8,9.

Thus we must humble ourselves before God. Confess our sins and ask God to come into our lives.

Have you done this?

Please think about it? 

With Equity

 With Equity

In proverbs we read,

"Say among the nations, "The LORD reigns." The world is firmly established, it cannot be moved; he will judge the peoples with equity." Proverbs 96:10.

I like this portion of scripture. It tells me God is fair and just. That he will judge all people equally. God does not play favourites.

The reason God can do this is because he knows us intimately.

The Psalmist writing,

"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. 

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. 

My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be." Psalm 139:13-16.

In Ecclesiastes we are warned,

"Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole  duty of man. 

For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil." Ecclesiastes12:13,14.

That being said God does not leave us to our own devises, because he knows we cannot live a life good enough to get to heaven. Thus He sent Jesus. 

The apostle Paul writing,

“You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.  

Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die.  

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 

Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him!  

For if, when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!  

Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation” Romans 5:6-11.

Have you received by faith the salvation God offers through Christ Jesus?

Please think about it.

There will come a time

 There will come a time

In the book of Obadiah we read,

"For the day of the LORD is near upon all nations.

As you have done, it shall be done to you;

your deeds shall return on your own head" 

                                                                Obadiah 1:15.

I like this quote from Billy Graham it states,

“The Bible says today is the accepted time, today is the day of salvation... 

But there will come a time when it will be too late for you.” 

                                                                                             Billy Graham.

Are you prepared to meet God? Have you acknowledged by faith that there is a God who sent His One and Only Son to save our souls? Have you confessed your sins to God and accepted the salvation that comes through Christ Jesus?

The apostle Paul telling us,

"...Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord

 will be saved." 

                                                Romans 10:13.

So have you called upon the name of the LORD and confessed your sins to Him?

Please think about it.